It happens every year....we get hundreds, if not thousands of coins each year. Well, sooner or later, they have to be washed. Sooner is better, otherwise you may one day come to realize that the last several years worth of coins = 50,000 coins, a large task at that.
I managed to find a double barreled rock tumbler cheap at a garage sale many years ago, so that's what I use. I did 7 x 2 = 14 loads before I finished. I quit using gravel, soap etc for my coins. Just plain water for the pennies and a shot of vinegar with the water for the rest and the coins act as their own abrasions. Just tumble for a couple of hours, rinse well and dry on a towel. DONE!
Of course if you are of the mechanical type, you could build a tumbler machine as shown below by clicking on the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7lXS9DknP4&feature=player_embedded
Or build some coin furniture.
I managed to find a double barreled rock tumbler cheap at a garage sale many years ago, so that's what I use. I did 7 x 2 = 14 loads before I finished. I quit using gravel, soap etc for my coins. Just plain water for the pennies and a shot of vinegar with the water for the rest and the coins act as their own abrasions. Just tumble for a couple of hours, rinse well and dry on a towel. DONE!
Of course if you are of the mechanical type, you could build a tumbler machine as shown below by clicking on the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7lXS9DknP4&feature=player_embedded
Or build some coin furniture.
